


Anatomical Antics

by AnotherSmartFangirl



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Holiday truce 2020, This is just a big ole basket of fluff, Unconventional Anatomy, Various ghost animals mentioned, catboy danny, not to spoil anything but, shape-shifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28385610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherSmartFangirl/pseuds/AnotherSmartFangirl
Summary: During a fight with a ghost squirrel, Danny learns he can shapeshift to a degree. Danny being Danny, he messes around with his new power and makes Sam and Tucker laugh in the process.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 138





	Anatomical Antics

**Author's Note:**

> Christmas Truce 2020 gift for quasar-crew on Tumblr! Their prompt was Danny playing with unconventional anatomy. I hope I did it justice for you! I swear the first draft was more serious.
> 
> See the endnotes for some amazing art of Danny in catboy mode! They're both so cute!

Today, like most days in Amity Park, was supernaturally boring. The only person in town happy about this silence was Danny since meant he could spend his time doing some of the homework he’d been neglecting with the help of his friends. Or, it would have, if his ghost sense hadn’t gone off while he was working on his math homework in the park. That’s how he found himself here, fighting a rabid spectral squirrel on the lone basketball court while Sam and Tucker watched on. It wasn’t that they couldn’t help, per se, but that this was the third incident this week with the same squirrel running amuck. 

The squirrel in question hurtled green-tinted acorns at Danny’s head like daggers, barely giving the half-ghost time to move before he was impaled. The animal had been scavenging underneath the massive oak trees that cover the park for a snack when it saw the trio sitting on a beach towel with their homework scattered about. Tucker was convinced the creature just hated calculus, which Danny could relate to intimately well. 

In the past month, there had been more ghostly animals in Amity Park than usual. Either their habitat in the Zone was being disturbed, or they had tired of their usual ectoplasmic diet. Regardless, it’s been hell for Danny. It seems like every time he felt like he could relax, another one popped up. Distracted by his thoughts and going through the motions of dodging acorns and sending ectoblasts at the fluffy squirrel, Danny missed a small tree branch snapping above him. As it hurtled towards him, Sam shouted “Watch out, Danny!” The half-ghost dodged to the side just in time as the branch whistled past him and sent an appreciative look down to Sam. Sam, meanwhile, was looking just behind him, her mouth agape. 

Feeling fur brush the back of his jumpsuit, Danny whipped around, only to see the end of a fluffy glowing tail pasted onto the back end of his suit. “Woah! Where did that come from?” Reaching back, the tail was surprisingly soft and reminded Danny of the Maine Coon cats the animal shelter advertised all the time. The fur began as a dark black at the base of the tail, and faded to white as it approached the end, poofing out to an almost insane degree at its whitest part. Danny was glad it didn’t have the same pattern as a skunk tail. 

“I wonder…” Danny mumbled to himself as he experimentally flicked the tail back and forth. “Wow. Looks like I can control the thing. Who knew.” The boy was mesmerized as he moved his tail this way and that, curving it into all kinds of shapes. 

“At least your tail matches your smell!” Tucker laughed, immediately being punched in the arm by Sam for the comment. “Hey! What did I do? We were all thinking it.” 

Danny was so enthralled with the new appendage that the existence of the ghostly animal was all but forgotten. That is until the creature in question landed a massive acorn on the boy, sending him hurtling to the ground in a heap. As Sam and Tucker rushed to help their friend up, Danny sighed and shook the dirt from his hair and new tail. “Alright. Let’s get you back to where you belong, nut-for-brains.” 

Danny stood back up and rocketed up into the sky. After landing a few good ectoblasts on the creature, Sam tossed him the Fenton Thermos and Danny sucked the hapless animal in. With a sigh of relief, Danny sunk back against a tree trunk, noticing the squirrel tail had dissipated during the last scuffle. “That squirrel sure was a handful. What was with that tail, though? Is it a new power of some kind?” 

“Maybe. Try doing another body part. Like bird wings. Or maybe some bat ears?” Sam suggested as her and Tucker sat down next to their friend on the ground. 

“Hah. Danny, this could be the perfect opportunity to be a catboy.” Tucker giggled as he leaned back onto his hands. 

“If I do that, there had better not be any pictures. I don’t think I could handle the embarrassment.” Danny shook his head at the thought of the press having yet another reason to laugh at him. 

“Oh please, you’d be the hero every furry deserves.” Tucker teased with a grin, landing an elbow in Danny’s arm. 

“That’s what I’m afraid of, Tuck. They’d make me their king, or something. As if ghosts aren’t trying hard enough after the whole Pariah incident.” Danny said with a shake of his head. According to Dora, since he defeated Pariah in battle, he’s the rightful heir to the title of King of all Ghosts, or something like that. Danny hadn’t paid much attention, since he already had too much to deal with. 

“Exactly! Just do it, ghost boy! Show us, your best friends, the fluffy kitty ears!” Tucker continued to plead as he raised his hands in a praying motion. 

“Come on, Tucker. Don’t make the guy do something he’s clearly not comfortable with! Even though, I’m pretty sure he’d be cute as a little catboy.” The last phrase was said with a wink directed at Danny; whose face turned a soft shade of pink at the comment. 

Tucker giggled and teased, “Ooooohhh, Sam has a little catperson love in her dark, gothic heart, doesn’t she?” 

With a roll of her eyes and a glint of just barely contained murderous intent, Sam shot back. “Shut it, tech breath. You don’t have any more of a leg up on me, you know.” 

“Alright, alright. Fine. Both of you just shut up and I’ll do it. Not because you guys told me to, though.” Danny sighed as he stood up. He was genuinely excited to see if he could form animal limbs without having a point of reference in front of him, but also a bit scared that he won’t be able to do it on command the first time. After all, it took Danny a month to go intangible on command. 

Taking a deep breath, Danny pulled at the constant buzzing sensation in his chest and brought the energy to the surface, envisioning himself with a set of cat ears sprouting from his head. The first time, nothing happened. Taking a moment, the teen directed more energy towards the shaping of the ears, finally feeling the weight of them settle in his hair. 

Sam and Tucker gasped at the sight. Nestled into Danny’s raven hair was a set of sleek cat ears, white on the backs with tufts of light green fur sticking out of the front to cover the eardrums against a backdrop of pale pink skin. The same pale glow that accompanied Danny’s ghost form outlined their edges. The coloring of the ears reminded Sam of a cat her grandmother used to have when she was a kid, aside from the glowing green patches. 

“So, how do I look?” Danny asked nervously, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. The ears responded without his command, dipping lower in embarrassment. 

Sam and Tucker looked from the ears to each other then back to the ears in thought, both somewhat awestruck. They didn’t think he’d actually do it. 

“They’re nice, Danny.” Sam responded, stunned as the ears flicked and moved on their own. 

Filled with sudden excitement, Tucker looked at his friend and asked, innocently but with an almost malicious undertone, “Could you do the thing?” 

“What thing?” Danny questioned with trepidation filling his voice. The ears stood at attention, showing his interest. 

“You know, the thing. The catboy thing. Like, nyah.” With that, Tucker moved his hand in an imitation of a cat raising its paw. 

“Oh my god, Tucker. You can’t just ask a catboy to nyah for your own amusement! It’s insensitive.” Sam had an angry tone, but she was on the edge of laughter, the thought of Danny doing that was almost too much for her. 

“I hate you. Both of you.” Danny deadpanned as he crossed his arms. “But, fine. If it’s what the people want…”

Raising his right hand, he curled his fingers like a cat’s par and uttered the phrase “Y’know like, nyah.” Danny tried as hard as he could to keep a straight face but failed the moment he said the word nyah. Sam and Tucker were keeled over in their spot on the ground, hardly able to even breathe. 

“Who cares about using this in a fight. That was the best thing you could ever do with this new power. Memes only.” Tucker laughed as he tried to regain his breath. 

“I don’t know, Tucker, if I saw the person I was fighting turn into a cat I’d be pretty terrified.” Danny said as he let the ears fizzle away into a puff of green. 

“That’s not true and you know it. Spectra’s weird butler does it all the time.” Sam countered with an eye roll. 

“Yep. And I’m terrified of the guy. Absolutely terrified.” Danny replied as he sat back down. 

As the three friends bantered back and forth about this, Danny couldn’t help but wonder just how practical this power was. After all, his other powers were built for offense and hardly have any flair to them. Why would he have one that was solely for aesthetic? He guesses that he’d be able to find a use for this in a pinch. Forming wings was potentially useful because at least he could hit someone with them. Horns could be used in combat, but only if they were ram’s horns, and even then, the weight of them would likely give Danny a headache. 

…So maybe this is a power he can only use for aesthetic. It’s no biggie. Every ghost he knows has at LEAST one fun power, anyways. If Danny can make Sam and Tucker laugh like that by using this ability, then it’s all worth it. 

**Author's Note:**

> There is now fanart of this fic! By the amazing amabsis over on tumblr! Check it out at: https://amabsis.tumblr.com/post/639213231971483649/so-i-made-a-gift-of-a-gift-so-how-do-i-look
> 
> And there is a second piece of the catboy! Thank you so so so much to everyone that's rallied around this little gift! See inadthefishchild' take on Danny over at: https://inadthefishchild.tumblr.com/post/640868583499546624/anatomical-antics-anothersmartfangirl-danny
> 
> And as a sidenote, if anyone happens to make some fanart of this, please be sure to tag me over at @danthectoman on tumblr! I want to see them all! Every one of you is amazing!


End file.
